Question 1

Which Processor Should I Get in an Ultraportable?

Accepted Answer

For smooth performance and a decent user experience, you'll want to be choosy about your processor. Even in a less-expensive system, today's average Intel or AMD processor is more capable than ever of handling routine tasks, but if you need speed, select carefully. For the latest CPU offerings from Intel, you'll want one of its Core Ultra processors, also known as "Meteor Lake" (Core Ultra 100 Series) and "Lunar Lake" (the newer Core Ultra 200 Series). In these families, the Core Ultra 7 and 9 serve up the top performance.

Meteor Lake and Lunar Lake use a tiled system-on-chip (SoC) design that combines modular chip components like the CPU, graphics, and I/O to handle things like PCI Express connections. The most significant new addition to Meteor and Lunar Lake is a neural processing unit (NPU), a core cluster that's tailor-made for AI processing tasks. However, if you need one of Microsoft's Copilot+ PCs, you'll want the beefier NPU found on Lunar Lake.

Microsoft's Copilot+ PC program is essentially a set of minimum specifications for laptops that can leverage the full suite of Copilot AI features in Windows 11. A certain level of AI performance, measured in total operations per second (TOPS), is required, which is 40 TOPS. A minimum memory capacity of 16GB and at least a 256GB solid-state drive are also required.

The Copilot-compliant Lunar Lake chips are officially known as the Intel Core Ultra 200V series, introducing some of the market's best power and thermal efficiency. The "V" designates chips optimized for no-compromise performance while still delivering long battery life.

Core Ultra series processors are made for thin-and-light laptops that require power but aim to keep the wattage low enough for long battery life. Made for systems with limited thermal headroom, these processors are ideal for ultraportables that need performance without the weight of bulky cooling systems. Also worth looking for: Intel Evo. A subset of Intel Core-based ultraportables, laptops with the Intel Evo badge signify that they meet strict criteria set by Intel for performance, fast charging, and connectivity. They also have longer battery life and excellent connectivity options.

AMD has also made inroads with ultraportable laptops, with its AMD Ryzen U series filling the same role. Now in the 8000 generation, these Ryzen chips are also optimized for low power consumption and lower thermal design power (TDP) for longer-lasting batteries in thinner, lighter laptop designs. (Like Intel's Core Ultra line, AMD's Ryzen chips also come in H-series options for thicker, more powerful laptops.)

However, AMD's latest mobile chips are the "Strix Point" Ryzen AI 300 processors, which are even higher-power ultraportable laptop chips with upgraded integrated graphics and even more raw AI performance. While intended as the flagship top-tier power chips, the first Ryzen AI 300 models still run on just 28W of power, the same as the 8000-series Ryzen U CPUs.

A third option for Windows laptops, Qualcomm's Snapdragon X, finally provides a viable alternative to the x86 architecture. Using an alternative architecture called Arm, Qualcomm's chips are found in thin-and-light systems from several major retailers, driving competitive performance and graphics capability. These Arm processors support emulation in Windows 11 and also run native versions of many key Windows apps, making them compatible with most of the expected software. (Snapdragon X Elite-based laptops were the first entrants in Microsoft's Copilot+ AI PC initiative.) Just know that Windows on Arm does have some differences from how Windows runs on x86-based Intel and AMD processors, so read up on those if you're considering one.

Finally, at the low end, are Intel's now-phasing-out Celeron, Pentium, N-series, and Core i3 processors, slowly being replaced with a new line of entry-level "Intel Core" processors (without the "Ultra" in the name). Ranging from Core 3 to Core 7, these budget processors are an inexpensive and energy-efficient update of "Raptor Lake" chip designs. Some power users, a key ultraportable audience, may be frustrated by slower performance, so don't expect to see many of these in the category.

None of this applies to Apple laptops. A few years back, Apple shifted away from Intel silicon, moving in stages to its own processor designs for the entire MacBook line. The latest MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models use M4 chips, the fourth generation of Apple's homegrown CPUs. Given recent MacBooks' tested performance, we've been impressed with every successive processor in the Apple Silicon lineup, making these MacBooks a safe bet for shoppers who can afford them and are cool with macOS.

Note that Apple uses its own-design processors in all of its current-model laptops. That makes for less complexity when choosing among Apple models. Still, if you're a Windows user, you must decide whether Apple Silicon's impressive speed (particularly with specially written native software) is worth switching to macOS.

Question 2

Which Graphics Processor (GPU) Should I Get in an Ultraportable?

Accepted Answer

The graphics processor, aka the GPU, is also essential. Most ultraportable systems rely on integrated graphics, whose graphics processing hardware is silicon-on-die alongside the CPU cores. (In contrast, mobile workstations and gaming laptops use a dedicated GPU, a separate chip devoted to rendering graphics with higher frame rates and more detailed textures.) The integrated graphics capability fits productivity and casual media work but does not run demanding PC games well, or help much with power-intensive photo and video editing.

Since 2022, Intel has equipped most of its CPUs with Intel Iris Xe graphics, first introduced in 2020 on its higher-end chips. While initially reserved only for Intel's top-end Core i7 and Core i9 CPUs, Intel has recently made Iris the baseline integrated GPU for its Core chips.

However, Intel's latest Core Ultra processors upgraded their integrated graphics to Intel Arc Graphics, a scaled-down version of Intel's dedicated Arc GPUs. The performance edges closer to what you'd get from a low-end dedicated GPU a few years back.

Additionally, Apple has pushed integrated graphics to new performance heights on the latest M3 and M4 processors. Top-end Mac laptops no longer use discrete third-party GPUs; all have multi-core GPU hardware on the same chip die as the CPU, sharing the main system memory. These combined CPU/GPU hybrids blur the line between integrated and discrete graphics, but the difference is still easy to see in the price tag, especially in high-end current MacBooks. At the entry level, though, the performance of the base M4 chip is similar to Intel's current Arc integrated graphics.

If you want to do more with media and play games at higher settings and frame rates, you'll need a discrete graphics chip, like the mobile versions of Nvidia's GeForce RTX graphics cards. These GPUs require more power and cooling and, as such, are generally only seen in gaming laptops or bulkier desktop-replacement notebooks. By and large, you'll spot them in few ultraportables. The most travel-friendly systems are not suited to gaming, so don't expect the integrated graphics to suffice for playing much more than a few less-demanding games on lower-detail settings.

Question 3

How Much Storage Should I Get in an Ultraportable?

Accepted Answer

Speedy hardware is all well and good, but you also need somewhere to keep all your digital stuff. This means a solid-state drive (SSD) for all ultraportables now. These compact, flash-based storage devices are weight savers and immune to data loss from shock or bumps because they don't have any moving parts, which is ideal for systems doing a lot of traveling.

Nowadays, almost all SSDs in laptops (when they're not soldered down) use a stick-of-gum form factor called M.2, which is much smaller than your traditional 2.5-inch SATA SSD. Smaller connectors allow smaller designs, which makes them a perfect fit for an ultraportable. Now, most such M.2-connected drives use a PCI Express (PCIe) bus connection for faster data transfer and, thus, faster overall performance. Very thin ultraportable designs, though, may just solder the storage directly to the motherboard for even greater space efficiencies. (You can't upgrade those SSDs. What you buy is what you're stuck with.)

A 256GB or 512GB capacity for SSD storage is standard on midrange and high-end ultraportables. It's nice to have a bit more than 256GB, but boosting SSD capacity still tends to be pricey, and the cost can jump if you opt for a larger 1TB option if the manufacturer offers it. A 512GB drive is a happy medium for most, while a 256GB drive will suffice for many users, especially if you won't store large media projects on this type of computer.

While SSDs are the most common storage format for ultraportables, two other storage options are used on less-expensive systems. Some low-cost ultralight laptops use an embedded MultiMediaCard (eMMC), a form of solid-state storage sometimes (mis)identified as an SSD in product specs but with flash memory like the kind used on memory cards. As such, it's slower and much smaller in capacity (32GB to 128GB) than a standard SSD. You'll generally find this type of storage only on the cheapest Windows laptops and many Chromebooks.

Finally, a (very) few budget-minded systems still use old-school spinning hard drives, though the presence of one as the boot drive indicates that the laptop is an older, refurbished, or remaindered model. These drives are less expensive than SSDs and provide substantially more room for your files for the money—you will often see hard drives with capacities of 500GB or more. You won't get nearly the same speedy performance as with an SSD, but lots of storage space is a plus. Given ever-thinner designs, however, makers of ultraportables have phased out bulky hard drives at this point.

Question 4

What Is the Best Kind of Display in an Ultraportable?

Accepted Answer

Let's go from what's inside a typical ultraportable to the most visible aspect of the exterior: the screen. Ultraportables' displays come in an increasingly varied array of resolutions, from now-humdrum 720p (1,366 by 768 pixels) in the very cheapest budget models, to full HD (1,920 by 1,080 pixels) as the mainstream norm, to Ultra HD or 4K (3,840 by 2,160 pixels), with a few nonstandard resolutions peppered between full HD and UHD.

Lower-resolution screens are most frequently found in entry-level systems simply because they're the least expensive option. They work well enough for reading and typing text, and YouTube often defaults to something lower than full HD, anyway, so less discerning users can get by just fine. But a 1,366-by-768-pixel screen is best avoided in any new laptop with a screen 13 inches or larger.

Full HD (often called 1080p or 1200p) screens are what you should expect on many budget systems, all midrange models, and some premium ultraportables. The 1080p display is standard enough that even most cheaper options now offer them, a far cry from the situation just a few years ago when a much grainier 1,366 by 768 was the budget-laptop norm. These displays are better equipped for multitasking since you can fit more readable text and two side-by-side windows onto a 13- or 14-inch 1080p screen. This sharp, true full-HD resolution is ideal for most daily use and video playback.

Ultra HD is currently the resolution of choice for the highest-end ultraportables and in models for content-creation pros. As 4K screens have four times the resolution of a full HD display, you can fit a lot onto them. However, the sheer number of pixels requires more power, and 4K systems usually see a significant drop in battery life compared with similar full HD systems. You also have the question of content. Although 4K TVs and displays are becoming increasingly common, 4K content streaming is far from universal (this is slowly improving on some streaming services), and gaming at 4K is way more than any ultraportable can support. At present, these displays are best suited to uses like photo and video editing. But they do look stunning.

Many premium laptops now use QHD or QHD+ screens, which are resolutions that fall between 1080p and 4K. They represent a nice middle ground between expensive, power-draining 4K resolutions and sharp, better-than-HD picture quality, so you should be happy to see QHD or QHD+ on a laptop you're considering buying. In addition, an increasing number of light-laptop makers have moved their ultraportable models to screens with squarer aspect ratios, such as 16:10 or 3:2, away from the much more common 16:9. That trend ramped up a couple of years ago, and it's continuing. Additionally, brilliant OLED display technology is available in several of our favorite laptop lines.

The other feature to watch for is support for touch input. While touch-capable displays were uncommon just a few years ago, they're now much more of a thing in ultraportables, even in the entry-level and business-laptop categories. Touch technology is useful on a bus or train where you may not have elbow room to use a mouse or touchpad, making it a good match for ultraportables. Even if you don't regularly use touch in your day-to-day computing and don't plan to incorporate it, it may be worth having just so you don't regret the decision not to get it down the road.

Question 5

Should Your Next Ultraportable Be a 2-in-1?

Accepted Answer

Some ultraportables are designed as convertible hybrids or 2-in-1s. Most 2-in-1s rotate 360 degrees around the screen hinge; a few have a separate keyboard base that detaches from the screen. In the former case, these mash-up machines let you enjoy both laptop and tablet functionality, thanks to hinges and swiveling joints that let you bend the display back around to use without a keyboard.

Rotating-hinge convertible devices are laptops first, but they aren't limited to traditional clamshell designs. Because they feature specialized hinges and touch screens, you can also prop them up like a tent or turn the keyboard face down so the screen is better positioned for watching a movie or giving a presentation. While convertibles are a category in their own right, the ability to shape-shift naturally lends itself to making a decent travel laptop. You'll see that some of our highest-rated ultraportable laptops are convertibles, too. (See our guide to the best 2-in-1 convertible laptops and detachables.)

Question 6

Should You Consider a Lightweight Chromebook?

Accepted Answer

Depending on what you do with your computer, you might find a Chromebook to be one of the best values in ultraportables. A Chromebook is a bare-bones laptop that runs Google's ChromeOS. It limits you to using web apps and Android apps.

Running ChromeOS means that you won't have access to traditional Windows software, so if that's central to how you work and play, a Chromebook isn't for you. But if you use a web-based email client such as Gmail or Outlook for communications, rely on Google Drive for doing your work, and spend most of your time watching videos on YouTube or playing web games—and you don't expect your needs to change—chances are you'll get along just fine with a Chromebook. Considering that computers of this type can be extraordinarily affordable (most cost $500 or less), you could outfit your family with several Chromebooks for the cost of one high-end Windows ultraportable.

Question 7

Ready to Buy the Right Ultraportable for You?

Accepted Answer

With ultraportables that are now thinner, lighter, and more powerful than ever, you'll find something in this vibrant class of laptops to suit your usage habits and travel needs. Check out our component-by-component spec breakout of the top ultraportables we've tested for more details. We refresh the list constantly to include the newest products, but because of the many laptops we review yearly, not every top-rated product makes the cut. Rest assured, though: These are all winners in their own ways.

Table of Contents

Our Top Tested Picks

The Best Ultraportable Laptop Deals This Week*

EDITORS' NOTE

Best Ultraportable Laptop for Most Buyers

Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Touch (UM3406)

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Ultraportable Business Laptop

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 13 Aura Edition

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Ultraportable MacBook for Most Buyers

Apple MacBook Air 13-Inch (2025, M4)

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Ultraportable 2-in-1 Laptop for Most Buyers

Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 (2024)

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Ultraportable Laptop for Students

Acer Swift Go 14 (2024, AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS)

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Arm Ultraportable for Business

Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 (Snapdragon)

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Ultraportable Chromebook

Asus Chromebook Plus CX34 (2025)

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Ultraportable Laptop for AI Features

MSI Prestige 13 AI+ Evo A2VM

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Ultraportable for Future Upgrades and Easy Repair

Framework Laptop 13 (2025)

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

Best Ultraportable 2-in-1 for Future Upgrades and Easy Repair

Framework Laptop 12

Pros & Cons

Why We Picked It

Who It's For

Specs & Configurations

All the Latest Tech, Tested by Our Experts

The Best Ultraportable Laptops for 2025 Compare Specs

Which Processor Should I Get in an Ultraportable?

Which Graphics Processor (GPU) Should I Get in an Ultraportable?

How Much Storage Should I Get in an Ultraportable?

What Is the Best Kind of Display in an Ultraportable?

Should Your Next Ultraportable Be a 2-in-1?

Should You Consider a Lightweight Chromebook?

Ready to Buy the Right Ultraportable for You?

About Brian Westover

Principal Writer, Hardware

Read the latest from Brian Westover

About Matthew Buzzi

Principal Writer, Hardware

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Further Reading